Engine-starting apparatus



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lNVENTOR Charles Marcus,

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 20, 1923.

UNITED STATES CHARLESMARCUS, OF YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO BIJ'UR MOTOR APPLIANCE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ENGINE-STARTING APPARATUS.

Application filed October 6, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLESh/IARCUS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York cit in the county of New York and State of ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Starting Apparatus, of which the following is a clear and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to starting apparatusfor engines more particularly of the type in which a driving member is normally out of engagement with an engine member to which the cranking torque is to be applied.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide simple, compact and reliable means for starting a source of power.

Another object is to provide apparatus 'of the above type which shall without damage to the parts withstand even unusually adverse cranking conditions of the engine.

Another object is to provide means of the type mentioned which shall be susceptible of easy application and which shall. be convenient in control and automatic in action.

Another object is to provide means of simple and inexpensive construction for effectively preventing undesired engagement of the driving member with the engine at all times, and which shall yet readily permit operative engagement for starting the engine.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction. combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction here inafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings wherein are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of this invention, Fig. l is a view in longitudinal section of an inboard embodiment of my invention,'only a fragment of the motor being shown, the apparatus being shown in out of mesh or home position. Fig. 2 represents face and edge views of Serial No. 328,751.

Referring now to- Figs: 1, 2, 3' and 4- of the drawings I have shown a fragment of the usual starting motorl having an extended armature shaft 2 which is threaded for a substantial part at its outer-most portion as at 3. Fitting over the shaft 2 there is a pinion at provided with a smooth bore and adapted to cooperate for meshing with a gear 5 preferably formed on the fly-wheel' of the engine. A barrel 6 coaxial with the shaft and pinion is preferably rigidly connected to the pinion in the same manner as in my copending application, Serial No. 260,048. Briefly stated, the barrel is provided with a serrated flange 7. fitting into a cut-away portion 9 on the teeth 8 and having its inwardly projecting points fitting in between the remaining roots of the teeth. An annulus 10 is disposed against the interior surface of the flange 7 and against the inner extremities of'the pinion teeth as at 11. the inner extremity of the pinion hub being upset as at 12 against the slightly beveled opening 13 of the annulus 10 thus firmly securing the pinion 4:, annulus 10 and flange '7 together, sothat the pinion and barrel constitute arigid construction.

A nut 14 provided with an integral flange 10 has its threads cooperatingwith those.

on the shaftportion 3, said nut being connected to the barrel through a friction clutch washer 15 against one side of the nut flange 16, said clutch washer being secured preferably by a. sheetmetal retainer 17 to a clutch plate 18 which clutch plate has integral lugs 19 fitting into equidistant longitudinally extending slots 20in the open endjof the barrel, ,the said slots extending for a substantial portion of the length of thebarrLl. and each having a base 2]. at

right angles to the length of the barrel. The clutch isgiven an initial holding power by means of a coil spring 22 within the barrel encircling the shaft, abutting at one end against annulus 10 and at the other against the clutch plate 18. On the side of the nut flange 16 opposite that contacted by washer 15 there is an outer clutch plate 23 provided with integral lugs 24 also fitting into the longitudinally extending slots 20, the said clutch plate exerting a constant holding force upon the nut, by reason of annular spring metal washer 25 pressed against said clutch plate by a sleeve 26 encircling the hub of the nut and retained in placeby a lock spring 27 fitting into a groove 28 in the nut.

The unit comprising the nut and the associated pair of clutches as well as the spring 22 are prevented from passing out of the barrel by a cap 29 fitting over the free end of the barrel and having an inwardly extending rim 30 with arcuate slots 31 to permit the cap to be slipped over the wall portions 32 on the barrel between which the slots 20 have been formed. A spring metal split ring 33 is preferably placed adjacent rim 30 and against the interior of metal portions 32, said portions being preferably provided with apertures 34 within which fit integral. lugs 35 on the ring 33 thus'locking the cap onto the barrel and preventing the contents of the barrel from escaping. This locking means need not be described in greater detail as it is not my invention being described and claimed in the copending application of Joseph Bijur, Serial No. 145,839 filed February 1st, 1917. i

The entire assembly of pinion 4, nut 14 and the associated parts, comprising the two clutch members, the spring 22 and all other elements mounted on the nut, is referred to in certain of the claims as a shiftable trans mission unit, This unit it is seen may be assembled apart from the motor and readily slipped upon the driving shaft, pinionfirst, the rest of the assembly trailing behind and the nut being finally threaded upon the shaft end. In operation this transmission unit may travel between a stop 36 adapted to be abutted by the pinion when in full mesh, and a stop 37 adapted to be abut-ted by the nut when in home position. The stops are preferably thrust washers formed to prevent sticking respectively of the pinion andthe nut. The pinion stop 36 consists of a hardened steel washer'38 backed by a fiber washer 39 against a shoulder 40 on the shaft, both washers being rotatable upon the shaft, a lock ring 40 preventing said washers from moving lengthwise. The forward end of the pinion is countersunk as at 41 for lodging the lock ring 40 when the pinion is in full mesh. The nut stop 37 is similar to the pinion stop, being also formed of a metallic movement off the free end of the shaft by a cup shaped member 42 threaded to the shaft end as at 42' and locked thereto preferably by a pin.

The ,cup shaped member 42 is provided with. a serrated rim 43 conformed in the manner of a ratchet. Upon the sleeve 26 is slidably disposed a restraining plate or ring in the form of a pawl carrier or plate 44 urged outwardly by means of a coil spring 45 also encircling the sleeve, against a flange 46 formed integrally on the outer end of the sleeve 26.

The restraining plate 44 is shown in plan view and in elevation in Fig. 2. It is preferably made of sheet metal and has V-shaped conformations preferably at diametrically opposite points as at 47, the ridge of the extending radially of the washer as at 48. The V-shaped conformations 47 act in the manner of pawls by fitting between adjoining teeth or serrations 43.v The slopeof the erably such that when the nut is turned by any means its advance upon the shaft will be slower than the advance of the pawls47 along the inclined tooth surfaces 43.

In Fig. 5 I have shown an outboard embodiment of the invention. The shiftable transmission unit is shown substantially identical with that of the inboard embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4, the nut being shown to cooperate with threads on that portion of the'shaft adjacent the motor. In this form the threads 3 on the shaft may be made of larger diameter than the smooth portion 2 at the outer end of the shaft or the bore of the pinion, without interfering with the possibility of readily mounting the previously assembled shiftable transmission unit upon the shaft. In this embodiment the inner end of the pinion hub is preferably cut away as at 50 to permit said portion-to extend over the ends of the threads 3 when the pinion is in out of mesh or home position.

To avoid weakening the extended shaft on the end adjoining the motor I preferably fit the cup shaped restraining member 42 frictionally upon the shaft adjacent the motor, and retain the thrust washers 37' in place by means of a lock ring 51 fitting in a groove in the restraining member. I v The outer end of the extended shaft preferably has a bearing 52 within a housing-53 secured to the end of the motor 1 in the usual manner.

Other details of the outboard embodiment need not be described as they are substantially identical with the construction of the inboard form of Figs. 1 to 4.

. to Figs. 1 to 4, the motor being assumed to be started from a, source of energy preferably a storage battery (not shown) the threaded shaft 2 will be set into rapid rotation. By reason of the inertia of the nut 14 and the parts associated therewith constituting the transmission unit, this unit will not immediately take up the rotation of the shaft and accordingly the nut will move for wardly along the shaft pushing the pinion 4 through the coil spring 22 into mesh with the gear 5 until the end of the pinion abuts the thrust washer stop 36 when further advance of the pinion is prevented. The stop 36 prevents sticking or binding of the pinion. The resistance of the engine prevents the pinion from rapidly rotating and the barrel 6 being rigid with said pinion, the nut will continue to advance pushing the clutch 1518 before it against the compres sion of spring 22, thus gradually compressing this spring and increasing the holding effect of said clutch, thereby gradually increasing the torque for cranking. This advance will ordinarily continue until the lugs 19 on the clutch washer 18 abut the bases 21 of the slots 20 in the barrel, whereupon further advance of the nut can take place only to tighten the clutch until the nut is compelled to rotate with the shaft and transmits cranking torque from the motor through the tightened clutch 15-18 to the barrel and to the pinion and from the latter to 'the engine."

l/Vhen the engine starts under its own power it causes the pinion to rotate upon the shaft at a speed greater than that imparted from the motor and this rapid rotation will be transmitted through the barrel and clutch to the nut causing this nut to overrun the shaft in the well known manner,

thereby drawing the entire transmission unit including the pinion to the home position shown in Fig. 1.

As this home position is reached the restraining plate 44 contacts the serrated rim 43 of the stop 42, the pawls 47 entering between two pairs of said teeth. The restrain-- ing plate is Thus arrested against further displacement, and the continued movement; of the nut with the associated parts, therefore, causes a compression of the buffer spring 45 thus taking up the shock of arresting the transmission unit and preventing a bouncing back of said unit toward engagement with the engine gear. During this buffer action the restraining plate 44 may be rotated somewhat upon the sleeve 26 against the friction due to the sprin by the rotation of the stop 42 with the sha t. If the pawls should abut teeth 43 'end to end, jamming of the restraining means will not occur as the angles .of the contacting surfaces are made sufficiently steep to render the pawl carrier incapable of sustaining axial presable transmission unit will not advance to-- ward the geared engine member either during violent vibration or while the motor shaft slopes downwardly when the vehicle is inclined on a steep grade. This is appa'r ent from the fact that any rotation of the nut to cause advance must cause the pawls 47 to ride upwardly along the associated inclined tooth edges 43. As the rate of advance of the pawl as above set forth is greater than that of the nut along the shaft when the nut rotates as it would in creeping in, it follows that this pawl and ratchet connection offers resistance to the advance of the transmission unit. The parts are pr0- portioned to offer sufficient resistance to pre vent creeping 1n but insufficient to prevent the normal shifting action when the motor is started in normal manner.

The operation of the embodiment of Fig. 5 is obvious from the above description of the form of Figs. 1 to 4.

Although I have shown and prefer the mounting of the ratchet member on the shaft and the pawl member on the transmission unit it is to be understood that the mounting of these elements may be reversed. If the restraining member 42 is not mounted for rotation with the shaft it may sometimes occur in operation that it retards the rotation of the transmission unit when the latter reaches home position to a speed lessthan that of the still rotating motor shaft, in which event the unit again advances substantially as in the original act of starting with the danger of re-entry or contact of the pinion teeth with the rapidly rotating engine gear.

In certain of the claims and throughout the specification I have applied the term restraining means to the pawl and ratchet combination 434447-48. This means as above pointed out in the description of the operation, performs the double function of preventing a bounce back of the transmis sion unit when it is urged toward extreme home position and also of preventing the creeping in action of this unit while the vehicle is running. The term restraining means is generically used to designate either the combined function, of preventing creeping in and bounce back, or the functio of preventing creeping in alone. y v

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noted that my shiftable transmission unit may be restrained by means of other types than that disclosed herein.

If when cranking, the engine should fire during the compression stroke before top center has been reached, a phenomenon known as backfire, the effect upon the pinion would be to suddenly arrest its rotation and to tend. to rotate it in the direction opposite that imparted by the motor. The

force thus applied is ordinarily considerably in excess of that required for cranking.

This force is transmitted from the pinion through the barrel 6 to the clutch plate 18 but is not, transmitted any further, asthe clutch washer 15 and the clutch plate 23 will slip about. the nut flange under this high torque, thereby protecting the construction against damage under this abnormal action. Thus the engine tends to rotate one face of the clutch in a direction opposite tothe rotation imparted to the other face by the motor. After cessation of the back fire normal cranking action again proceeds as above described.

Should teeth of the pinion strike teeth of the engine gear end to end when the motor is started, meshing proceeds in a manner substantially identical with that of my copending application Serial No. 260,048 filed October 28th, 1918. In this event it may briefly be noted that the nut will advance longitudinally toward the pinion compressing the spring 22, and that in actual prac- 'tice the nut will be tightened against the y for arresting said clutch after said mesh for threads as' the spring is compressed to a greater extent than the butting teeth against each other and this before the clutch plate 18 reaches the stops 21 in the barrel. The nut will'thereupon cease its advance upon the shaft and will rotate with the shaft slightly rotating the pinion .through the clutch until the teeth thereof come into alignment with the spaces between the. teeth on the gear 5 when the expansion of the spring 22 causes the teeth to partially mesh whereupon full meshing, cranking and demeshing proceed in the normal manner above set forth.

The construction of this application also has the important feature of preventing hunting of the driving pinion. As this property is fully described and claimed in my copending application above referred to and is not claimed herein, description thereofiwill be dispensed with. 1

It is to be understood that the term sh'iftable transmission unit is of general application to the element or entire assembly which moves toward and into engagement with an engine member previous to cranking and with regard to certain of the claims it .is immaterial whether such member or assembly is automatically or manually displaced.

It is further to be understood that my driving member may have forms other than that of a pinion and that mydrivingshaft may be geared with respect to the motor instead of directly driven therefrom. With regard to all these matters I prefer to employ the specific construction shown and described.

It will thus be seen that there is herein described apparatus in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and which apparatus in its action attains the various objects of the invention and is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use. I

As many changes could be made in theabove construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this inven= tion could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is 1. The combination, in an engine starter, of a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a pinion on said shaft, a nut threaded upon said shaft, a friction clutch in the path of said nut and arranged to transmit torque between said nut and said pinion, means for arresting said pinion when in mesh during the forward movement of the nut and clutch, and a stop tightening thereof.

clutch into contact with said stop for tightening the clutch preparatory to transmitting cranking torque.

3. The combination, in an engine starter, of a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a pinion on said shaft, a nut threaded upon said shaft, a friction clutch drivingly connected between said nut and said pinion, and stop means movablewith said pinion and spaced from said clutch as meshing is completed, said.

stop means acting to limit the approach of said clutch to said pinion to tighten the said clutch.

4. The combination, in an. engine starter, of a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a pinion on said shaft, a barrel substantially rigid with said pinion, a nut threaded upon said shaft, a friction clutch drivingly connected between said nut and said barrel, a stop for said pinion, stop means for said clutch carried by said barrel, there being lost motion between said two stop means to permit said nut and said clutch to advance toward said clutch stop after full mesh of said pinion.

5. The combination, in an engine starter, of a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a nut threaded upon said shaft, a driving member, a friction clutch drivingly interposed between said nut and said driving member, and a single coil spring adapted to apply a gradually increasing pressure to said clutch to build up a cranking torque after engagement of said driving member with an engine.

6. The combination, in an engine starter, of a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a nut threaded upon said shaft, a pinion, a stop arresting the same when in mesh, a friction clutch drivingly interposed between said nut and said pinion, and'a single coil spring in advance of said clutch adapted to be compressed thereagainst for gradually tightening said clutch as said nut continues advance subsequent to mesh of said pinion.

7. The combination, in an engine starter, of a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a nut threaded upon said shaft, a pinion, a stop arresting said pinion when in mesh, a friction clutch and a coil spring between said nut and said pinion, and a member for transmitting torque from said clutch to said pinion, whereby said spring will be compressed by advance of said nut to tighten said clutch for torque transmission after mesh of said pinion.

8. The combination, in. an engine starter, of a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a nut threaded upon said shaft, a pinion, a stop arresting said pinion when in mesh, a friction clutch adjacent said nut, a coil spring interposed between said clutch and said pinion, and a member for transmitting torque from said clutch to said pinion, whereby said spring will be compressed to tighten said clutch for torque transmission by advance of said nut after mesh of said pinion.

9. The combination, in an engine starter, of a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a pinion on said shaft, a barrel substantially rigid with said pinion, a nut threaded upon said shaft, a friction clutch against one face of said nut, and including a clutch plate having lugs fitting into elongated slots in said barrel, and a coil spring interposed between said clutch plate and said pinion, whereby upon starting of said motor, said nut will advance urging said pinion into mesh and said nut will continue its advance to urge the' of a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a pinion v on said shaft, a stop for said pinion, a barrel substantially rigid with said pinion, a nut threaded upon said shaft, a friction clutch against one face of said nut, and including a clutch plate having lugs fitting into elongated slots in said barrel, and a coil spring interposed between said clutch plate and said pinion, and a second clutch plate against the other face of said nut, said plate also having lugs fitting insaid slots, and means exerting a constant holding force between said nut and said second clutch plate.

11. The combination, in an engine starter, of a shaft, a shiftable transmission unit thereon, and restraining means comprising a ratchet fixed upon said shaft and a cooper.- ating pawl mounted upon said unit for rotation about the axis of said unit.

12. The combination, in an engine starter, of a shaft, a shiftable transmission unit thereon, and restraining meanscomprising a ratchet mounted on said shaft, a pawl carrying ring encircling a part of said unit, a stop on said unit, and a compression spring on said unit urging said ring against said stop.

.13. The combination, in an engine starter,

.of a shaft, a shiftable transmission unitand yie ding means to resist freerotation of said member upon said unit.

15. The combination, in an engine starter, of a shiftable transmission unit, a pawl' plate encircling a portion 'ofsaid unit and having a pair of radial corrugations therein to constitute pawls, a stop for said plate, and a coil spring encircling a portion of said unit and urging said plate against said stop. I

16. The combination, in an engine starter, of a pinion, a nut coaxial therewith, barrel means connecting said elements for torque transmission, a pawl plate encircling said nut and having a radially extendingcorrugation to constitute a pawl, a stop on said nut for said plate, and a coil spring around said nut and urging said plate against said stop.

17 The combination, in an engine starter, of a shaft, a shiftable transmission unit thereon, and restraining 'means' for said unit comprising a sheet metal cylinder having ratchet teeth out in its rim, and a sheet metal pawl carrier having a pawl formed integrally therewith, said pawl and ratchet members cooperating when said-unit is in home position.

18. The combination, in an engine starter, of a shaft, a shiftable transmission unit thereon, and restraining means for said unit comprising a sheet metal cylinder mounted on said shaft and having ratchet teeth out in its rim, and a sheet metal pawl carrier mounted on said unit and having a pawl formed integrally therewith, said pawl and ratchet members cooperating when said unit is in home position.

19. The combination, in an engine starter, of a shaft, a shiftable transmission unit thereon, and restraining means for said unit comprising a sheet metal cup stop member secured to said shaft and having a serrated rim, a pawl plate rotatably mounted on said unit and having a pawl struck up therefrom, and a coil spring offering frictional resistance against rotation of said pawl plate on its mount.

20. The combination, in an engine starter, of a motor, a threaded shaft driven thereby, a driving pinion on said'shaft, a nut threaded upon said shaft and arranged to transmit torque to said pinion, a .thrust bearing stop on said shaft for the end oi said nut, and restraining means comprising two elements, one on said shaft and the other onsaid nut, one of said elements being arranged to permit rotation thereof on its mount.

In testimony whereof,1 have signed my name to this specification this 1st day of October, 1919.

CHARLES MARCUS. 

